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Author Topic: Bug - FLAC file tags being destroyed if...  (Read 2879 times)

kstuart

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Bug - FLAC file tags being destroyed if...
« on: March 28, 2013, 11:00:13 am »

If your FLAC file has an embedded cue sheet, all the tag data in the file will be destroyed by MC18 if you do an "Update Tags from Library".   Since MC18 doesn't write embedded cue sheets, it is permanently destroyed.

See third post of this thread for exact details.

Matt

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Re: Cue file problem
« Reply #1 on: March 28, 2013, 11:04:40 am »

Warning - If your FLAC file has an embedded cue sheet, all the tag data in the file will be destroyed by MC18 if you do an "Update Tags from Library".   Since MC18 doesn't write embedded cue sheets, it is permanently destroyed.

See previous "Available Here" thread for exact details.

I'm not seeing this.

Editing CUE entries (the files inside the CUE, that have a number and semi-colon at the end of their filenames) should do no tagging.
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kstuart

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Re: Cue file problem
« Reply #2 on: March 28, 2013, 01:46:19 pm »

* The file properties of the FLAC file are imported from its Embedded Cue Sheet

and

* You issue an "Update Tags from Library" command or that is done automatically by your settings.

I believe this started with build 154, but I have not tried a variety of builds.  Full description:

Bug - "Update Tags from Library" wipes all physical tag information from Single FLAC File With Embedded Cue Sheet.   It does this in a destructive way that then prevents the same FLAC file from being imported correctly with an external CUE file.  (So the FLAC file has been damaged in some way, at least for metadata purposes.)

Background:

If you edit File Properties of many files at once (such as changing Genre), and then do "Update Tags from Library", if this includes albums as a Single FLAC or APE file with a separate CUE file, then you will get a count of "N Failures" where N is the number of tracks in those albums.   MC18 does not rewrite the CUE file that was the source of data, which is known and expected behavior.  It also does not do anything to the Single APE or FLAC file (and I tested, and that is still true with 155 - I tested with a CUE and FLAC file pair and a CUE and APE file pair).  So, you get the "N Failures" error message, and no physical files are changed at all.

But, if the metadata comes from an Embedded CUE sheet in a FLAC file, then "Update Tags from Library" will wipe all metadata from the FLAC file and damage it.

Note:

This is probably introduced in 154, although it could be earlier.

PS As long as we are on the subject of "Update Tags from Library", note that running it with SACD ISO files results in "0 Failures" despite the fact that the file cannot be written (and a later import from just the SACD ISO file will not include the metadata changes that "Update Tags from Library" is supposed to write.  So, there is a missing error report in that case.

kstuart

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Re: Cue file problem
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2013, 11:54:08 am »

FYI...

Matt

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Re: Cue file problem
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2013, 12:18:33 pm »

I merged the duplicate posts.  Please reply to the original thread when you have an issue.

As I stated above, I can't reproduce this.  More details might help.

Thanks.
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kstuart

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Re: Cue file problem
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2013, 01:58:49 pm »

The fact that the thread was called "Cue File Problem" by the Mod, shows that neither of you are reading very carefully.

It is not a Cue File Problem, there are zero cue files involved.

Matt

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Re: Bug - FLAC file tags being destroyed if...
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2013, 02:24:27 pm »

I tested FLAC with an embedded CUE file.

If I'm misunderstanding, please explain (calmly) in more detail.

Thanks.
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kstuart

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Re: Bug - FLAC file tags being destroyed if...
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2013, 02:45:21 pm »

( I was also going by the statement "Editing CUE entries (the files inside the CUE, that have a number and semi-colon at the end of their filenames) should do no tagging." not having to do with this problem - since I am not editing cue entries, just changing file properties in MC18.)

No problem, let's start over.

A FLAC file with an Embedded Cue Sheet that is imported to MC18.

Change File Properties in MC18 (change the artist spelling or something) on the resulting individual virtual tracks that are shown in MC18.

Select all the individual virtual tracks and do the Library command "Update Tags from Library".

If the FLAC file has an Embedded Cue Sheet, this will wipe all the tag data in the physical file.  MP3TAG shows no file tags at all.   All the MC18 File Properties will still exist in the MC18 library database, so you have to check this externally.

As mentioned above, if the file does not have an embedded cue sheet, and instead has an external cue file, then as always, nothing is written at all.

Either way you get an "N failures" message, where N is the number of virtual tracks.


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Re: Bug - FLAC file tags being destroyed if...
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2013, 02:53:41 pm »

Perhaps it would be useful to upload a sample FLAC file with an embedded CUE sheet?
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kstuart

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Re: Bug - FLAC file tags being destroyed if...
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2013, 02:58:05 pm »

My guess is that it was introduced in Build 154 by:

" 11. Fixed: When importing a FLAC with embedded CUE file, the last track could have the wrong duration. "

Matt

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Re: Bug - FLAC file tags being destroyed if...
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2013, 02:59:13 pm »

A FLAC file with an Embedded Cue Sheet that is imported to MC18.

Change File Properties in MC18 (change the artist spelling or something) on the resulting individual virtual tracks that are shown in MC18.

Select all the individual virtual tracks and do the Library command "Update Tags from Library".

If the FLAC file has an Embedded Cue Sheet, this will wipe all the tag data in the physical file.  MP3TAG shows no file tags at all.   All the MC18 File Properties will still exist in the MC18 library database, so you have to check this externally.

I followed these steps as closely as possible.

It does report that it failed to update tags from library, but this is expected with CUE entries.

After, the FLAC file itself still has its tag including the CUE sheet.

I'm not sure what might be different.  You're not also editing the one large file instead of only the virtual entries are you?  Any other ideas?
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kstuart

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Re: Bug - FLAC file tags being destroyed if...
« Reply #11 on: April 03, 2013, 03:16:15 pm »

I'll try some other FLAC files with embedded cue sheet, it could vary from file to file.

kstuart

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Re: Bug - FLAC file tags being destroyed if...
« Reply #12 on: April 03, 2013, 03:45:48 pm »

" You're not also editing the one large file instead of only the virtual entries are you? "

I think this is the problem !

" 11. Fixed: When importing a FLAC with embedded CUE file, the last track could have the wrong duration. "

And also fixes the bug of importing the whole file in addition.

So, if the album has 8 tracks, you end up with a 9th track with duration equal to the whole album.

Then, if you "Select All" and "Change Genre" and then "Update Tags From Library" (standard operating procedure for me), then it will wipe the tags on the FLAC file, and the file will not be importable by MC18, even with an external cue file (that has the same info as the wiped embedded cue sheet).  So, it does some damage to the file structure in the FLAC file.

SO, you have to have imported the FLAC file with embedded cue sheet before Build 154.  (It's possible that the same wipe would have occurred before, but I doubt it because I'm pretty sure I did the same sequence before 154 and those files look fine.)

I suppose that a workaround would be to re-import all FLAC files with embedded cue sheets (that were imported prior to 154) - but it would also make sense to at least see in the code why it wipes the FLAC file structure when you select the entry that is the whole album, and then do an Update Tags from Library.

kstuart

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Re: Bug - FLAC file tags being destroyed if...
« Reply #13 on: April 03, 2013, 04:06:16 pm »

I found another one with the phantom full-album-duration entry, and this time I changed a File Property and did Update Tags from Library ONLY on that one full-album-duration entry, and it successfully changed the one entry and did not destroy the file structure.

So, it is only when you have selected both the virtual tracks and the full-album-duration entry together and do Update Tags from Library that it does the damage.

This implies that it is trying to write the virtual track information back to the FLAC file and fails miserably...

kstuart

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Re: Bug - FLAC file tags being destroyed if...
« Reply #14 on: April 03, 2013, 05:55:07 pm »

I wrote earlier today:

" And also fixes the bug of importing the whole file in addition. "

I spoke too soon.

I went through my library and deleted and reimported all the FLAC files with embedded cue files, in order to correct the duration of the last track.

Everything was fine.

Then, I added some new files to the Music drive, so I did another auto-import and all of a sudden, it added all the whole FLAC files as separate entries in addition to the virtual tracks. :(  I had done the re-importing over a period of about a half dozen auto-imports, so it is weird that all of a sudden, it decided to add back all of those whole FLAC files all at once.

It seems there is still some bugginess in either the FLAC file importing, or in the Auto-Import code.


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